Or to put it another way, I know a thing or two about regional bowling variations (look, I even have this little display in my living room). But I sure don’t know everything, a point that was driven home when reader Tom Konecny recently sent me an article from the May issue of Texas Co-op Power magazine, which featured an article on a variety of pin-bashing I hadn’t been aware of: kingpins, also known as Texas ninepins.

Ninepins is actually an older game than our more familiar tenpins. Aesthetically speaking, the game is distinguished by its diamond-shaped rack of pins with a red pin in the center, or sometimes just a red-necked pin. As you can see in that last shot, the pins don’t line up on the traditional tenpin spots; this, along with the necessity of having the red pin in the center, means that the pins always have to be racked by hand, not by machine.

According to the article Tom sent me, which you can read here (just click on each thumbnail and then click on “All Sizes” for a full-size version of each page; for additional info on the game’s background and rules, look here and here), the game is played at exactly 19 venues in the central Texas region that was settled by Germans two centuries ago. I knew we had these people to thank for the wonderful hot links featured at Texas barbecue joints, but I didn’t know one of their early forms of bowling was still being played today.

Anyone out there ever bowled at one of these establishments? Details, please.

Meanwhile, as long as we’re talking about regional bowling variations, here’s something interesting: Doug Keklak recently sent me a video link for some local TV coverage of a duckpins tournament near his hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Seemed routine enough, until I clicked on the link and found that this wasn’t regular duckpins — it was rubber band duckpins, a ducks variation I’d read about but never actually seen. The rubber bands are never used in Baltimore; are they standard-issue for ducks in western PA (and/or in Indiana, another ducks mini-scene)?

As you may have noticed in one of the earlier photos I linked to, rubber bands are also used in Canadian fivepins. In both cases, the idea is to make the pins bouncier and lead to higher scores, because both games are extremely difficult (fivepins because there are only five pins, duckpins because the ball and pins are so small). Candlepins is just as tricky, but to my knowledge there’s never any use of rubber bands or anything else to boost scoring.

All of which is to say: There’s a lot more to bowling than just drinking beer while you hurl a ball at a bunch of innocent little pins. Okay, maybe not a lot more, but probably more than most folks realize.

Uni Watch Road Trip Update, Hon: Hey, speaking of regional bowling scenes, Kirsten and I are gonna be swinging through Baltimore next month, so the long-promised Charm City Uni Watch party will finally take place. Mark it down for June 17th, 7pm. Haven’t settled on a venue yet; ideally, I’d like it to be at an old duckpins house (not one of those newfangled AMF facilities). This place dates back to 1927 and looks good from the outside, but I was disappointed to see how they’ve updated it with all sorts of nonsense on the inside. What I’m basically looking for is a place like the old Southway Lanes, which is now gone. Are there any places like that still left?

Fool’s Gold, continued: Reader Jonathan Eskridge recently visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame and took lots of photos — including, of course, a shot of Doak Walker’s 1953 uniform, complete with the controversial gold helmet. Two other people have weighed in with new thoughts on that one:

• From Helmet Hut historian Jim Parker: “After reviewing [Larry Bodnovich’s] screen grabs [which showed lots of gold helmets in a 1953 Lions game], it seems to me that many of the helmets in these photos do indeed appear silver, as I would have expected. If you look closely, you will find that the silver helmets are not Riddell model ‘RT’ helmets and as such are painted on the exterior or outside surface.” In other words, Jim believes — and I agree — that all the helmets were painted silver, but the Riddell RTs were painted on the inside and ended up appearing gold as the plastic helmet shells yellowed with age.

• From clear-helmet expert/DIYer Jeff Fedenko (who was profiled on the site a year ago): “I concur with your thoughts that the clear-shell helmets look gold regardless of what was intended, but I also agree with Jim Parker (a native of Detroit who saw the Lions helmets in person) that the helmets were actually silver. I know that more recent (1970s) clear shells provide a definite change of hue, which is evident in person and in photos or on TV. For example, if you compare a photo of Roger Staubach’s MaxPro clear shell helmet in Super Bowl XII with a painted helmet, there is a luminous effect with the clear shell. Another good example, discussed in the comments, was New Englad’s Pat Patriot-era MacGregor helmets, which also gave off a luminous or grayish hue compared to the painted and impregnated helmets. Also, I have heard that Riddell’s tenite plastic had an initial yellowish tint that only became stronger over time.”

So I think we’ve settled this one: The Lions never intended to wear gold helmets, but many of their players in the early 1950s nonetheless wore gold (or gold-seeming) helmets anyway, because they were painted from the inside on clear shells that yellowed with age. Okay? Okay.

Hey, remember these?: Things have been slow-ish over at the Uni Watch Membership Program lately, and that’s been fine with me, because I was mildly berserk with the Candela project. Now that that’s settled, this is a good time to remind you that you too can have your card proudly displayed in the membership card gallery if you sign up now. Or later, actually.

Uni Watch News Ticker: We begin today with several Japanese baseball items from Jeremy Brahm. First, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have just released their “We Love Hokkaido” uniform, which will be worn in nine games, six of which are in cities outside Sapporo in Hokkaido (it’s normal for teams to play home games in nearby cities to promote the game). ”¦ Next, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Yakult buying the team in 1969 by wearing Kokutetsu Swallows throwbacks (the team’s original name) for six home interleague games. Here’s the cap and rear view. ”¦ Third, the Yomiuri Giants are running an interesting promotion on June 7th. The first 5,000 fans who wear the team’s uniform to the game will receive this sticker sheet. ”¦ And finally, Jeremy has found more photos of early Japanese baseball teams in Seattle, dating back to 1920, 1919, 1917, 1912 (here’s another from that same year), 1911, 1910, and even 1907. Also, note the amazing sweaters worn by this squad. ”¦ Oh, and in that same photo archive, Jeremy found a cool shot of this 1908 women’s baseball team. ”¦ Do the NY Giants know that another team is wearing their socks? (As spotted by Brendon Yarian). ”¦ Now that’s a doozy (with thanks to James Crossman). ”¦ If you liked these, you love these (with thanks to John Muir). ”¦ New uni set for the Janaese national volleyball team (Jeremy Brahm again, as if you didn’t know). ”¦ FNOB alert (with thanks to Eric Stangel). ”¦ Always interesting to see softball faceguards. That’s Glen Oak High in North Canton, Ohio (with thanks to Brandon Yarian). ”¦ Not positive, but I think I linked to this page of “creative” softball pants a month or two ago. I didn’t realize, however, that the site also includes some much more outlandish concepts (with thanks to Brian Flynn-Kocourek). ”¦ Brett Klopp was in DC last weekend and caught a few of the Phils/Nats games. “Before Sunday’s game I noticed that the tarp covering the mound was emblazoned with a Miller Lite ad — first time I’ve seen something like that,” he says. “Also, the Nats have large banners above their CF pavlion area with the team logos for each league. At first glance they appear to be in alphabetical order by city name, but both signs have alphabetizing errors. On the NL side, Cincinnati should be before Colorado and San Diego should be before San Francisco. And for the AL, Chicago should be before Cleveland and Tampa Bay should be before Toronto. Can’t the Nats get anything right?” ”¦ Did anyone wonder what the Steelers would look like if they wore a white helmet like the one Ryan Connelly DIY’d? Ronnie Pooredid. ”¦ Awesome 1917 military baseball uni, with detachable sleeves, here. ”¦ You’ve heard of media whores? How about media-savvy whores? (Big thanks to my Page 2 colleague DJ Gallo.) ”¦ Hey look, MLB equipment managers have their own association (with thanks to Jason Van Noord). ”¦ Hmmm, subtle. ”¦ Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Check out the awesome Zack Greinke T-shirt the Royals will be giving away on June 16th. ”¦ A while back I wrote about how Milwaukee Braves fans were allowed to bring beer into the ballpark. Here’s a Pirates fan doing the same at Forbes Field (with thanks to Lance Smith). ”¦ Uniform historian Marc Okkonen has just released his latest book (not uni-related but still fascinating): 2,000 Cups of Coffee 1900-1949: Players Who Appeared in 10 Games or Less in the Major Leagues in the First Half of the 20th Century. At present it’s only available as a PDF download for SABR members. Not sure if/when it’ll get wider distribution. ”¦ More Japanese baseball news from Jeremy: The Rakuten Golden Eagles will wear this design for interleague games. ”¦ Tyler Kepner noticed a small paint adjustment at Yankee Stadium (although he later e-mailed me to say, “Techinically, it’s vinyl, not paint”). ”¦ A new swimming record may not count, because the swimmer’s suit may be against the rules (that’s it, I’m just turning over the whole Ticker to Jeremy). ”¦ Brad Wasserman spotted my namesake on a movie poster. ”¦ Daniel Murphy had to borrow a first baseman’s mitt last night. … Two items of note here: (1) Apotrophe catastrophe-o-rama. Seriously, are these people illiterate or what? And (2) Look at the lining of that jacket.

222 comments to The Sport of King(pin)s

I never thought I would see my neighbor to the north, Comal County on this site.

Jeremy Brahm|
May 21, 2009 at 8:23 am |

Actually on the Nationals NL, Arizona should be in front of Atlanta as well and Pittsburgh in front of Philadelphia. And with the AL Texas should be in front of Toronto as well.

Talk about lack of oversight. Should we just have them move back to Montreal?

u2-horn|
May 21, 2009 at 8:26 am |

And San Diego should be ahead of San Francisco

Robert in Dallas|
May 21, 2009 at 8:28 am |

I how many readers other than Tom Konecny and I receive Texas Coop Power magazine. Kudos to Tom for noting the story and forwarding it to the Glorious Leader. It just flew right past me.

Craig D|
May 21, 2009 at 8:30 am |

San Diego then San Francisco in front of St. Louis (It’s not Saint Louis)

Matt Brosseau|
May 21, 2009 at 8:34 am |

So I went to the Socks Rock Web site last night (clicked the link on Uni Watch, of course) to pick up an awesome pair of striped baseball socks to wear around this summer, but they only sell in minimum orders of 12. Boo. Anyone know a similar site where I can buy one pair?

TC Lofton|
May 21, 2009 at 8:38 am |

I’m not entirely sure that I’ve ever seen the rubber bands on duckpins in Indy, but I’ll head over to Fountain Square (The COOLEST place to Duckpin Bowl… ANYWHERE…) and bring my camera. They have small cases all over the old Theatre and Lanes that contain trophys and old duckpin sets.

So Paul, not to be that guy, but will we be seeing our Membership cards made up in the next week or so? I’ve been pulling out my hair in anticipation of receiving mine.

[quote comment=”330290″]So Paul, not to be that guy, but will we be seeing our Membership cards made up in the next week or so? I’ve been pulling out my hair in anticipation of receiving mine.[/quote]

Your design should be done in about a week, yes. Your physical card will take a little longer after that. Unfortunately for you, you missed the cut for the last batch of cards, which mailed out last Thursday — you’re the first order of the next batch.

TC Lofton|
May 21, 2009 at 8:50 am |

[quote comment=”330293″][quote comment=”330290″]So Paul, not to be that guy, but will we be seeing our Membership cards made up in the next week or so? I’ve been pulling out my hair in anticipation of receiving mine.[/quote]

Your design should be done in about a week, yes. Your physical card will take a little longer after that. Unfortunately for you, you missed the cut for the last batch of cards, which mailed out last Thursday — you’re the first order of the next batch.[/quote]

Man, I’m even lamer than I thought. Thank you, kind sir.

Matt Brosseau|
May 21, 2009 at 8:51 am |

The Uni Watch membership card gallery is great fun to browse through, but I wonder why the design isn’t referenced in Flickr as to what team the design originally came from. Some of them are pretty obvious, but for some of the more obscure ones it’d be nice to see where they came from. I would volunteer for such a project, btw.

Original Jim|
May 21, 2009 at 8:51 am |

My local bowling alley growing up had duckpins (my high score was 159!), but none had rubber bands. There were three duckpin houses in my area, and one was a combo of candlepin and duckpin. That one has since been torn down for a Home Depot.

The 2 duckpin alleys are still thriving, although one is tucked into the basement of a nondescript building.

Action Duckpin Bowl
Today if you ride the elevator to the fourth floor of the Fountain Square Theatre Building you will be transported to another era in time at Action Duckpin Bowl. Originally opened in 1928 as Fountain Square Recreation, a bowling alley and billiard hall, the business closed in 1957 and remained vacant until 1994 when it was restored with authentic 1930’s vintage bowling equipment and reopened with eight lanes of duckpin bowling, a 1918 pool table and an extensive collection of bowling memorabilia dating to the early 1900’s. In addition to the eight lanes of bowling, Action Bowl has a cafï¿½ area that seats up to 120 guests where catering service can be provided for parties. Windows surround the cafe for a magnificent view of downtown Indianapolis. A snack bar menu is available to be served at your lanes during open bowling. Full bar and beverage service is available. We are a nonsmoking facility.

Atomic Bowl Duckpin
Opened in December 1997 in the basement level of the Fountain Square Theatre Building; Atomic Bowl has seven duckpin alleys furnished with authentic 50’s and 60’s bowling equipment. A pool table, 1950’s vintage jukebox, and displays of midcentury bowling collectibles add to the retro atmosphere. Atomic Bowl has a cafe area that seats up to 90 guests for buffets provided by our catering services. During open bowling, food may be ordered from the snack bar menu to be served to your lanes. We are a nonsmoking facility.

Both Action Duckpin Bowl and Atomic Bowl Duckpin can be booked for private rentals, some seasonal restrictions may apply. To request private rental information and pricing click here or call 317-686-6006 ext 2. Whether you are entertaining a few friends or family, a large number of clients or wondering where to have your next office party, duckpin bowling is an unique location for fun and entertainment and will make your event most enjoyable.

[quote comment=”330295″]The Uni Watch membership card gallery is great fun to browse through, but I wonder why the design isn’t referenced in Flickr as to what team the design originally came from. Some of them are pretty obvious, but for some of the more obscure ones it’d be nice to see where they came from. I would volunteer for such a project, btw.[/quote]

Early on, readers liked to guess what each card was by leaving comments on each design’s Flickr page, and then the “owner” of the card would eventually divulge the source design (unless it was obvious). I think this ritual stopped after a while. If you go back to the earlier cards, you’ll see a lot of it playing out in the Flickr comments.

Mark|
May 21, 2009 at 9:10 am |

The Mets are playing the Orioles at Camden Yards on June 17…it’s Adam Jones bobblehead night…and you want to go bowling?
Just what kind of Mets fan are you, Paul?
I’m an Orioles fan, and I know where I’ll be that night.

TommyD|
May 21, 2009 at 9:11 am |

[quote comment=”330285″]Actually on the Nationals NL, Arizona should be in front of Atlanta as well and Pittsburgh in front of Philadelphia. And with the AL Texas should be in front of Toronto as well.

Talk about lack of oversight. Should we just have them move back to Montreal?[/quote]

Philadelphia should be before Pittsburgh; (H before I according to the big chart at the front of a 1st grade classroom). The Natinals (sic) are clearly the worst franchise in modern baseball history.

Bernard|
May 21, 2009 at 9:11 am |

Those softball pants… are breathtaking. So much to “like”!

MEMAL|
May 21, 2009 at 9:12 am |

Great old Japanese Uniforms there! I dug those a lot more than the duckpin bowling stuff, but as a bowler myself I will have to take note of some of the locales you guys are throwing out there and try it some time. That would probably get me hooked.

I liked the white Steelers helmet on Big Ben. Not so much the white pants though, but I understand what he was doing there. I don’t even like the white pants with the throwback uniforms that they do. I think my interest in the Steelers doing those throwbacks has definitely gone away. Anybody know if they plan on doing them again this year? I hope not, just keep the attention on those swell looking AFL uni’s that are coming.

[quote comment=”330300″]The Mets are playing the Orioles at Camden Yards on June 17…it’s Adam Jones bobblehead night…and you want to go bowling?
Just what kind of Mets fan are you, Paul?
I’m an Orioles fan, and I know where I’ll be that night.[/quote]

…you’ll be home asleep by the end of the 2nd inning..

Nick|
May 21, 2009 at 9:17 am |

I just saw highlights of the Yanks-Orioles game from last night, and Melky Cabrera’s helmet is still missing the 3. Wonder when/if they’re going to fix that. I’m sure they’ve noticed it.

I also have bowled “Kankakee style” in Racine, WI at what is now the Rhino Bar. It is 5-pin type of bowling with ducklike pins and a small ball. It looks like they have fixed up their lanes a bit (they only have two). It is a lot of fun.

I also have some great stories from the year I ran the outdoor bowling lanes at Polish Fest and SummerFest in Milwaukee. Every day at SummerFest one worker had to dress up as large ball and another had to wear the pin costume and do the mile long daily “parade”.

Hank|
May 21, 2009 at 9:18 am |

Nats’ have a lack of oversight in their organization. And being in Washington, DC should that be a surprise?

CW|
May 21, 2009 at 9:19 am |

I (wonder) how many readers other than Tom Konecny and I receive Texas Coop Power magazine. Kudos to Tom for noting the story and forwarding it to the Glorious Leader. It just flew right past me.

*raises hand*

/Grayson-Collin Elec. Coop.

Hank|
May 21, 2009 at 9:22 am |

(1) Apotrophe catastrophe-o-rama. It’s the Clips what else should we expect. Then again, there are always the Nats.

[quote comment=”330285″]Actually on the Nationals NL, Arizona should be in front of Atlanta as well and Pittsburgh in front of Philadelphia. And with the AL Texas should be in front of Toronto as well.

Talk about lack of oversight. Should we just have them move back to Montreal?[/quote]

“Should we just have them move back to Montreal”

i get the felling the moving trucks would drive south about 2 and a half hours before they realized they were headed in the wrong direction…

[quote comment=”330300″]The Mets are playing the Orioles at Camden Yards on June 17…it’s Adam Jones bobblehead night…and you want to go bowling?
Just what kind of Mets fan are you, Paul?[/quote]

The kind who’s attending the previous night’s game.

DenverGregg|
May 21, 2009 at 9:36 am |

[quote comment=”330311″][quote comment=”330285″]Actually on the Nationals NL, Arizona should be in front of Atlanta as well and Pittsburgh in front of Philadelphia. And with the AL Texas should be in front of Toronto as well.

Talk about lack of oversight. Should we just have them move back to Montreal?[/quote]

“Should we just have them move back to Montreal”

i get the felling the moving trucks would drive south about 2 and a half hours before they realized they were headed in the wrong direction…[/quote]
. . . and then blame the mistake on someone else.

9-Pin The object is to leave the “red” pin for a score of 12. If all pins are knocked down, the score is 9. Games is played in teams of 6 with 6 frames (called innings) per game. The order can be changed from inning to inning so that you can send a bowler to hit a specific shot. Each bowler gets 2 rolls, just as in 10 pin. Completely a team game and is a blast.

u2-horn|
May 21, 2009 at 10:02 am |

[quote comment=”330308″]I (wonder) how many readers other than Tom Konecny and I receive Texas Coop Power magazine. Kudos to Tom for noting the story and forwarding it to the Glorious Leader. It just flew right past me.

All of these are fitted and 6,000 yen or about $60. That is not a typo. For some reason the real caps are god awfully expensive, they always have been. When I was there 15 years ago a student they were like 10,000 yen or $100 at the exchange rate at the time.

Squiddie|
May 21, 2009 at 10:36 am |

Where is this country called Jana?

Which is to say the link to the Japanese volleyball unis has a typo. I did have to think about it to see if there was a country who had changed their name or if perhaps volleyball was big in Java.

TommyD|
May 21, 2009 at 10:37 am |

[quote comment=”330316″]Mississippi State is having a fan choice poll for their new basketball court design.

[quote comment=”330320″][quote comment=”330314″]June 17th is the day I have been waiting for![/quote]

you guys are in for a real treat! uni watch parties are SO much fun!!![/quote]

I think if the O’s beat the Mets on the 16th, Paul should have to sport an O’s jersey at the party ;)

I’ll even supply the jersey!

TommyD|
May 21, 2009 at 10:41 am |

[/quote]

I like that they are asking the fans and surprisingly I am not mortified by the designs

I would go a hybrid with the traditional M State at half court and the bulldogs as the smaller logos[/quote]

on second look, maybe not, then there is no “Mississippi” anywhere

i voted for #3

War Damn Eagle|
May 21, 2009 at 10:43 am |

[quote comment=”330328″][quote comment=”330320″][quote comment=”330314″]June 17th is the day I have been waiting for![/quote]

you guys are in for a real treat! uni watch parties are SO much fun!!![/quote]

I think if the O’s beat the Mets on the 16th, Paul should have to sport an O’s jersey at the party ;)

I’ll even supply the jersey![/quote]

Are you going to make him wear the orange jersey you sported in Chicago last summer? I was top row of the upper deck behind home plate at Wrigley for that game, and I could still see you out in the bleachers.

After enjoying this blog for a number of months, I’ve decided to become a member! I’d like my membership card to reflect the style/colors of the 1960 Geneva Redlegs of the NY Penn League, in honor of my grandfather. He died when I was fairly young, and it wasn’t until recently that I learned he was a big baseball fan. He lived in Geneva NY, so I can only guess he may have attended Redlegs games. The 1960 Redlegs had Tony Perez and Pete Rose.
I can’t seem pictorial evidence of their uniform style or colors. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Rick Chaney|
May 21, 2009 at 10:46 am |

Paul,
Patterson Bowl is great! I live right down the street and have been to many parties there. You can rent the entire upper floor and it’s BYOB and BYOF. They pretty much leave you alone up there, but you will have to call the attendant a couple of times to reset the pins. That’s part of the fun. It would be a great place to have a Uni Watch gathering.

random reader|
May 21, 2009 at 10:49 am |

I didn’t notice the change to the bullpen walls at Yankee Stadium until I read about it afterwards. Nice touch.

BTW, the Orioles logo from last year is still being used on YES telecasts (when they show the scoreboard or the name of the player at bat) and sporadically throughout the Stadium during games.

Gretchen|
May 21, 2009 at 10:53 am |

[quote comment=”330331″]After enjoying this blog for a number of months, I’ve decided to become a member! I’d like my membership card to reflect the style/colors of the 1960 Geneva Redlegs of the NY Penn League, in honor of my grandfather. He died when I was fairly young, and it wasn’t until recently that I learned he was a big baseball fan. He lived in Geneva NY, so I can only guess he may have attended Redlegs games. The 1960 Redlegs had Tony Perez and Pete Rose.
I can’t seem pictorial evidence of their uniform style or colors. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks![/quote]

I like that they are asking the fans and surprisingly I am not mortified by the designs

I would go a hybrid with the traditional M State at half court and the bulldogs as the smaller logos[/quote]

on second look, maybe not, then there is no “Mississippi” anywhere

i voted for #3[/quote]

one more comment (to beat the dead horse)

Why does the NCAA need 2 different 3 point lines?? It really adds a blemish to court design. Move the men’s up or the women’s back. who’s with me?

Sam|
May 21, 2009 at 10:57 am |

Re (from yesterday’s comments):
… We (read: Ek) have found and fixed the software problem. It was another spambot, which left some blind links in one of our folders so they could piggyback on our traffic and increase their own google rankings. No virus, nothing malicious. And now it’s gone, so that’s that …

Great to hear. Thanks for checking into it. I enjoy reading here a great deal.

Jeff|
May 21, 2009 at 11:00 am |

Ok,

I love Uniwatch. I do. and I love to bowl, and yesterday’s entry was interesting. But I read this site because I love uniforms. Not bowling. Not the projects that Paul’s friends do. These last three days (and I include the DIY projects which, IMHO should have their own page so those of us who don’t care aren’t subjected to them) have been painfuly boring. I know its Paul’s site and what he says goes, but can we PLEASE get back to uniforms?

[quote comment=”330330″]
Are you going to make him wear the orange jersey you sported in Chicago last summer? I was top row of the upper deck behind home plate at Wrigley for that game, and I could still see you out in the bleachers.

That jersey was a cotton version of the early 80’s jersey that was a ROENICKE #35. I wore it to the O’s 1983 throwback game, and when I was walking around I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Gary himself…told me it was the coolest jersey he has ever seen! I had him autograph it!

But to answer your question…yes, I could work out something similar for him!

I love Uniwatch. I do. and I love to bowl, and yesterday’s entry was interesting. But I read this site because I love uniforms. Not bowling. Not the projects that Paul’s friends do. These last three days (and I include the DIY projects which, IMHO should have their own page so those of us who don’t care aren’t subjected to them) have been painfuly boring. I know its Paul’s site and what he says goes, but can we PLEASE get back to uniforms?[/quote]

I’m sorry — really and truly, not sarcastically — that Uni Watch isn’t exactly what you want it to be. Sometimes life doesn’t unfold precisely the way we’d prefer.

Today’s post isn’t just “about bowling” — it’s about the LOOK of bowling, about the red pin in the center, about the diamond-shaped rack, about pins of different shapes, sometimes with rubber bands around them. That is the very definition of “athletics aesthetics.”

If you find that boring, that’s your privilege. I can’t do anything about what you do and don’t find boring. And even if I could, I wouldn’t be able to tailor everything to meet every single reader’s tastes. So instead I try to satisfy one person’s tastes: mine. If you dig, great; if not, that’s a pity (for both of us). Again, life is like that sometimes.

Also, I’m not sure, but I think there might be a few things about uniforms in the Ticker (ok, THAT part was sarcastic).

Jason|
May 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |

Paul, did you the toilet test you attended at the New Shea before the season started take into consideration the possibility of this happening?

[quote comment=”330325″]For the Swallows gear, it is on a different site.[quote]

Thanks, Jeremy.

…and with that $60 pricetag, my brief love affair with a Japanese throwback cap ends.

Ricko|
May 21, 2009 at 11:27 am |

The story left out the part about the bells and buzzers going off, and the flashing lights and the sign blinking:

“CONGRATULATIONS!
You are the first Citi Field patron to be this stupid.
That qualifies you to be the
NEXT METS MANAGER OR GENERAL MANAGER,
whichever is terminated first!”

(Privately, Mets owners were said to be quite pleased that the winner was someone already familiar with the concept of going into the toilet while looking for something valuable.)

—Ricko

Jeremy Brahm|
May 21, 2009 at 11:27 am |

Even though uniwatch, is predominantly about sports uniforms, the equipment used to play the game, bats, balls, helmets are a huge component of the games we play and watch.

Bowling is often thought of just pins and balls, but as Paul showed today, that even though it is essentially the same game, there are differences in the equipment and how it is played, which I am pretty sure that most of us did not know much about.

As things get more and more standardized in our everyday lives (restaurant chains, grocery stores and department stores), these regional variations of the game may not survive because of their “uniqueness.” I have only bowled 10 pin bowling, but if I am traveling in these locations future, I’ll look for these alleys to see how different they are from what I am accustomed to.

These differences are why we take vacations to get away from the same things we see. When in Hawaii you try to hula, luaus or snorkeling because it is something you can’t do everyday.

This blog will give something different everyday. A lot of things that I have found for this site over the last three years, many of them were by chance through Google searches for other things. You did a little digging and then you find something that says, “Look what I found.”

I am not saying that everything I find is used, that’s Paul’s call. This blog is a part of the spice of life for many of the readers, let alone Paul.

Ricko|
May 21, 2009 at 11:28 am |

[quote comment=”330342″]Paul, did you the toilet test you attended at the New Shea before the season started take into consideration the possibility of this happening?

I just wanted to take a moment to say to Jeff Spry, that basement of yours is truly inspirational. I went home and looked at the pictures last night and my wife commented that she would never get me back if i had a room like that. I have been kicking around a similar paint idea and now I just may have to go through with it. (but not in black and gold…blue and silver is much more to my tastes..)

Joe Young|
May 21, 2009 at 11:33 am |

Any day but June 17th!, this sucks i have been waiting for a long time for there to be uniwatch party in baltimore, and when u finally do, i can’t make it, i got orioles tickets and it adam jones bobble head night

Giancarlo|
May 21, 2009 at 11:33 am |

Psss! Someone tell Okkonen it’s “10 Games or Fewer.”

sonic tooth|
May 21, 2009 at 11:33 am |

[quote comment=”330298″]Paul, huge props for the Clem Snide representation in your CD collection.[/quote]
I was going to applaude the Bardo Pond representation…(I guess I just did)

Ken|
May 21, 2009 at 11:46 am |

Re: Baseball Tarp advertising. The best ad placement of all time — the Morton’s Salt girl with the umbrella and rain gear used to be on an MLB tarp — I believe in Atlanta. That could be a whole thread for Paul — ballpark advertising that was actually well-placed and isnpired; not obnoxious. I think the Trop used to have the “Florida Power Co.” power alleys, for example. The Office Depot pencils on the foul poles is also inspired. The old hit it here, win a suit ads from Ebbets. But the Morton Salt tarp was the best I think.

I like that they are asking the fans and surprisingly I am not mortified by the designs

I would go a hybrid with the traditional M State at half court and the bulldogs as the smaller logos[/quote]

on second look, maybe not, then there is no “Mississippi” anywhere

i voted for #3[/quote]

one more comment (to beat the dead horse)

Why does the NCAA need 2 different 3 point lines?? It really adds a blemish to court design. Move the men’s up or the women’s back. who’s with me?[/quote][/quote]

I’m with you. Plus there should be a rule that any game played on an NBA court must have the NBA line removed. There should only be one line on any court at a time. I think the NBA requires college lines to be removed.

John Rossman|
May 21, 2009 at 11:53 am |

Paul! UniWatch! Baltimore! Finally!

I’ll be there with bells and/or an O’s uni on. Patterson Bowling is a very cool location – I actually met the owner at a nearby bar called Kibby’s (which would also be worth a trip for you) and he gave me some very interesting history on the place.

Interestingly enough, that same night (or maybe the night after) I met Leon Day’s son – he was wearing a Day jersey and I gave him a compliment on it. He seemed really excited that someone else knew about his dad.

And as a former intern and cataloguer of Cal Ripken’s jockstraps and other sundry items, make sure you stop in at the Sports Legends Museum right next to Camden Yards…lots of great uni-related stuff and plenty of work done by moi.

[quote comment=\”330295\”]The Uni Watch membership card gallery is great fun to browse through, but I wonder why the design isn\’t referenced in Flickr as to what team the design originally came from. Some of them are pretty obvious, but for some of the more obscure ones it\’d be nice to see where they came from. I would volunteer for such a project, btw.[/quote]

I agree I love looking through the gallery too. What I wish is that everyone who has a card would go and leave a comment explaining their choice. Some interesting reading for the ones that have done so!

My card just came in the mail last weekend and I see it in the gallery now!
Thanks Paul!

[quote comment=”330353″]Re: Baseball Tarp advertising. The best ad placement of all time — the Morton’s Salt girl with the umbrella and rain gear used to be on an MLB tarp — I believe in Atlanta. That could be a whole thread for Paul — ballpark advertising that was actually well-placed and isnpired; not obnoxious. I think the Trop used to have the “Florida Power Co.” power alleys, for example. The Office Depot pencils on the foul poles is also inspired. The old hit it here, win a suit ads from Ebbets. But the Morton Salt tarp was the best I think.[/quote]

I love Uniwatch. I do. and I love to bowl, and yesterday’s entry was interesting. But I read this site because I love uniforms. Not bowling. Not the projects that Paul’s friends do. These last three days (and I include the DIY projects which, IMHO should have their own page so those of us who don’t care aren’t subjected to them) have been painfully boring. I know its Paul’s site and what he says goes, but can we PLEASE get back to uniforms?[/quote]

I couldn’t disagree with you more. Just for the record. I actually find the uniform specific topics the least interesting, and I find the DIY the most interesting (and inspiring).

So there ya go, 1-1.

Lee

Lee

Brendan|
May 21, 2009 at 12:06 pm |

I live in Pittsburgh, and our grade school had duck pins in the basement of the gym. I’m pretty sure that they had the rubber band on them (or gum band in Pittsburghese) so perhaps it is a Western PA thing.

I grew up playing Canadian Fivepins. Of course, we just called it “bowling”.

Here’s some interesting trivia which may or may not be true – the five pins have different point values (in order, 2,3,5,3,2). Knocking down the centre pin is worth five points, which is the origin of the term “five hole” for the space between the goalie’s pads in hockey.

TEH|
May 21, 2009 at 12:17 pm |

[quote comment=”330308″]I (wonder) how many readers other than Tom Konecny and I receive Texas Coop Power magazine. Kudos to Tom for noting the story and forwarding it to the Glorious Leader. It just flew right past me.

*raises hand*

/Grayson-Collin Elec. Coop.[/quote]
*raising hand here, too*

Used to set pins as a kid at the Blanco bowling alley and have played there and in Zorn; great game.

Jeremy Brahm|
May 21, 2009 at 12:25 pm |

[quote comment=”330358″]Jeremy, great stuff in the ticker today but I wanted to thank you for the info you dropped in the comments late last night regarding our conversation about non-Japanese players playing in Japan.

Your knowledge on all things Japan/sports uni related is truly as asset to the UW community. Keep up the great work.[/quote]

It took me 1.5 hours to do the math with excel and looking at the 12 teams’ websites.

All of these are by Robert Whiting or co-written with him. Slugging it out was an auto-biography of Warren Cromartie’s time with the Yomiuri Giants, while the others are more the interaction between the two cultures. The most recent one is how Japanese players choose to come the states and play.

Whiting has some great stories in these books and for those of us as “outsiders,” non-natives including Whiting, the books give a feel for why the things are different with the game there and why foreign players can succeed or fail because of cultural differences or through a change in views.

It was a great insight to read before going over as an exchange student.

The Great|
May 21, 2009 at 12:35 pm |

Re: Clippers Jacket

Silly idea in general, but if you notice the small NBA logo, it makes me think that every rep was wearing a jacket like this and the NBA made them all in a stupid marketing scheme….

Wouldn’t mind snatching the warriors one though and wearing it court side…. If i can ever afford em

I enjoy the fact that Paul diversifies this site to the many dedications of fans, various sports & uni’s….it’s really an education on many levels.

yes there are days I don’t find interesting, but then when a topic comes up that I truly like, I enjoy it that much more.

Sometimes all the entries aren’t that exciting, but if they were, then this would be come quite routine.

I feel bad that sometimes a certain non-topic takes over (like history or obscure trivial conversations), and can kill the buzz…again though, that’s nowhere near enough to stop me from checking on a daily basis.

Not a fan of the DYI’ers, but it is a discipline & art….so how about a hybrid of DYI’ers who make Bowling shirts (which are Uni’s…)…

Not sure if this has been posted… did a quick search and saw nothing – and I have ben off-line for a while. But, you can design an indy car at the Indy 500 website and there is a particularly gross Nike entry!

[quote comment=”330362″]I grew up playing Canadian Fivepins. Of course, we just called it “bowling”.

Here’s some interesting trivia which may or may not be true – the five pins have different point values (in order, 2,3,5,3,2). Knocking down the centre pin is worth five points, which is the origin of the term “five hole” for the space between the goalie’s pads in hockey.[/quote]

Out of curiosity, do you have proof of that last statement, Mike? As it was explained to me a long time ago by a hockey coach, it’s the fifth place you look when trying to score – the five-hole.

Over the shoulders are #1 and #2 (glove and blockers move slower than the speed the puck is travelling), the lower corners are #3 and #4 (because they are normally covered when a goalie butterflies), and the fifth hole on a goalie is between his legs (because it is quite easily protected by both stick and pads).

JRJR|
May 21, 2009 at 12:53 pm |

[quote comment=”330366″]I enjoy the fact that Paul diversifies this site to the many dedications of fans, various sports & uni’s….it’s really an education on many levels.

yes there are days I don’t find interesting, but then when a topic comes up that I truly like, I enjoy it that much more.

Sometimes all the entries aren’t that exciting, but if they were, then this would be come quite routine.

I feel bad that sometimes a certain non-topic takes over (like history or obscure trivial conversations), and can kill the buzz…again though, that’s nowhere near enough to stop me from checking on a daily basis.

Not a fan of the DYI’ers, but it is a discipline & art….so how about a hybrid of DYI’ers who make Bowling shirts (which are Uni’s…)…

so it’s now 1-1-1!![/quote]

Personally, I love the theory of a uniform specific blog, but the more I read, the more I like that this is actually a design blog for those of us who also happen to be sports nuts.

Ricko|
May 21, 2009 at 12:54 pm |

[quote comment=”330366″]I enjoy the fact that Paul diversifies this site to the many dedications of fans, various sports & uni’s….it’s really an education on many levels.

yes there are days I don’t find interesting, but then when a topic comes up that I truly like, I enjoy it that much more.

Sometimes all the entries aren’t that exciting, but if they were, then this would be come quite routine.

I feel bad that sometimes a certain non-topic takes over (like history or obscure trivial conversations), and can kill the buzz…again though, that’s nowhere near enough to stop me from checking on a daily basis.

Not a fan of the DYI’ers, but it is a discipline & art….so how about a hybrid of DYI’ers who make Bowling shirts (which are Uni’s…)…

so it’s now 1-1-1!![/quote]

I don’t necessarily like the cover story in SI every week, but it doesn’t keep me from reading the magazine. And sometimes that lead story turns out to be pretty interesting after all.

2-1-1 (assuming the “fine with DIY’s/Duckpins/Kidhood Creations et al” voters are the first column).

—Ricko

Ricko|
May 21, 2009 at 12:56 pm |

Oh, wait, with JRJR’s vote it would be:

3-1-1

Hank|
May 21, 2009 at 1:06 pm |

Ricko’s analogy is spot on. Now, if the site morphed into diywatchblog, there may be reason to start bitchin’.

Hell, I’m not a fan of soccer-related items, so I just by-pass those sections and read what interests me.

[quote comment=”330368″][quote comment=”330362″]I grew up playing Canadian Fivepins. Of course, we just called it “bowling”.

Here’s some interesting trivia which may or may not be true – the five pins have different point values (in order, 2,3,5,3,2). Knocking down the centre pin is worth five points, which is the origin of the term “five hole” for the space between the goalie’s pads in hockey.[/quote]

Out of curiosity, do you have proof of that last statement, Mike? As it was explained to me a long time ago by a hockey coach, it’s the fifth place you look when trying to score – the five-hole.

Over the shoulders are #1 and #2 (glove and blockers move slower than the speed the puck is travelling), the lower corners are #3 and #4 (because they are normally covered when a goalie butterflies), and the fifth hole on a goalie is between his legs (because it is quite easily protected by both stick and pads).[/quote]

No proof, that’s why I said it might or might not be true. I heard it growing up, its mentioned on the wikipedia page for five hole, it makes sense, but that’s the best I can do.

JRJR|
May 21, 2009 at 1:10 pm |

[quote comment=”330372″]Ricko’s analogy is spot on. Now, if the site morphed into diywatchblog, there may be reason to start bitchin’.

Hell, I’m not a fan of soccer-related items, so I just by-pass those sections and read what interests me.[/quote]

“Aesthetics of Athletics” is pretty big chunk to chew. Let’s all be glad it’s here!

Steven|
May 21, 2009 at 1:19 pm |

First off, Thanks Paul and all the contributors no matter what the sport. Its the first thing I do in the morning is look at Uni Watch. Also I have a red Red Sox hat that has the stars and stripes in it from a few years ago. A while back when I was in Boston in the New Era Cap store they had gray Sox hats with other flags in them, like the Irish Flag, Italian flag, etc, anyone know anything about these, did they just stop making them? Where can I find one?
Thanks,
Steven

Patterson Bowl is a great place but is quite small inside. It’s a great place to hang out with friends and it’s BYOB! You could also take a look at Mustang Alley’s. It’s a bit more modern and has both 10 pin and duckpin.

LarryB|
May 21, 2009 at 1:28 pm |

I do not know about that explanation of the Lions gold helmets. The yellowing with age part. How much aging was needed to make the helmets gold?

I mean I understand the concept but I have no ideahow long it takes to age an helmet so it looks gold.

bill|
May 21, 2009 at 1:28 pm |

No responses on Baltimore bowling allies? Unless I missed them in my perusal. I think Patterson Lanes may be the last left in the city. Check this article out: Balitmore Magazine.

Both of these are north of Baltimore, near or in Towson. This isn’t my neck of the woods. I grew up in West Baltimore and the Soutwest county. The lanes I bowled at as a kid no longer exist.

Frank Deford has a few articles about Baltimore ducks, some capturing how it was a staple before the Colts and Orioles came to town. Here’s a sample: Baltimore’s duckpin bowling is headed for the gutter. I’m too young to remember Toots Barger, but old enough to remember Baltimore’s nightly “Duckpins For Dollars” on WBAL. A strike won the jackpot.

Has anyone noticed that the Orioles are now wearing their black jerseys on the road? For years they have worn them only at home. For years they only wore the orange jersey at home too, but in the late 1980s wore it occasionally on the road (as a streak buster or something). Interesting that a team would have an alternate colored jersey just for home or just for road. Most teams use it for both.

[quote comment=”330377″]I do not know about that explanation of the Lions gold helmets. The yellowing with age part. How much aging was needed to make the helmets gold?

I mean I understand the concept but I have no ideahow long it takes to age an helmet so it looks gold.[/quote]
According to one of Paul’s experts, “Riddell’s tenite plastic had an initial yellowish tint that only became stronger over time.”

Judd|
May 21, 2009 at 1:36 pm |

The 2009 Gillette Civil Rights game is promoted as having the Reds wearing replica 1964 jerseys… which means one could reasonably expect something like this.

[quote comment=”330378″]No responses on Baltimore bowling allies? Unless I missed them in my perusal. I think Patterson Lanes may be the last left in the city. Check this article out: Balitmore Magazine.

Both of these are north of Baltimore, near or in Towson. This isn’t my neck of the woods. I grew up in West Baltimore and the Soutwest county. The lanes I bowled at as a kid no longer exist.

Frank Deford has a few articles about Baltimore ducks, some capturing how it was a staple before the Colts and Orioles came to town. Here’s a sample: Baltimore’s duckpin bowling is headed for the gutter. I’m too young to remember Toots Barger, but old enough to remember Baltimore’s nightly “Duckpins For Dollars” on WBAL. A strike won the jackpot.[/quote]

Yes, I know it’s a few miles outside of town, but that would actually be better for me and Kirsten, because we have to scoot back to NYC that night, so Hillendale’s location would give us a little bit of a head start. (Also, going from any part of Baltimore to Hillendale would be a shorter trip than a standard Brooklyn-to-Manhattan trip, which we NYCers do all the time. Y’all are spoiled by your small cities!)

[quote comment=”330380″][quote comment=”330377″]I do not know about that explanation of the Lions gold helmets. The yellowing with age part. How much aging was needed to make the helmets gold?

I mean I understand the concept but I have no ideahow long it takes to age an helmet so it looks gold.[/quote]
According to one of Paul’s experts, “Riddell’s tenite plastic had an initial yellowish tint that only became stronger over time.”[/quote]

Plus, I can pretty much guarantee you that in that era teams didn’t go to the expense of a full set of new helmets every year. Another factor, then, is that some of those helmets could well have been in their second or third season, giving the gold discolorization plenty of time to develop.

[quote comment=”330373″]
No proof, that’s why I said it might or might not be true. I heard it growing up, its mentioned on the wikipedia page for five hole, it makes sense, but that’s the best I can do.[/quote]

No worries. It just seemed like it could be a plausible origin of the term, so I wanted to see if you had some sort of reliable proof.

Twinkle Watts starred in a few Allan Lane B-westerns at Republic Pictures in the mid-40’s, before he went on to play Red Ryder (with Robert Blake as his kid companion, “Little Beaver”) and then his own series of 50-some “Rocky” Lane westerns. More importantly, of course, Lane later was the voice of TV’s “Mr. Ed.”.

I also did screen grabs of the Lions Browns 1952 NFL Chmapionship game. Only think there were not close ups and the overall quality of that film was not as good as the 1953 game.

Most of what I could see in the 1952 game, the Lions helmets looked silver. Only one shot of Bobby Layne and the same style helmet looks gold.

So I guess it all depends on when the Lions got those helmets. As I noted when I sent Paul and Phil the grabs, The gold look is not your typical obvoious gold. And the later pictures makes it seem like they did get more gold looking. So I guess it does make more sense after I think about it.

Hott Rodd|
May 21, 2009 at 1:54 pm |

[quote] Y’all are spoiled by your small cities!)
[/quote]

Small City? Whats that? Isn’t that called a Town? Out here in the Wild West(where we still ride horses and have duels at the drop of a hat, true story) we can’t understand y’alls cramped living conditions. 10 miles is a bit of a drive? Out here you drive 20 miles just to do anything.

LarryB|
May 21, 2009 at 1:54 pm |

And I know this local fitness club years ago had a few lanes for duck pin bowling.

And I loved the game arcade type bowling games that I played as a kid in bars when my dad stopped for a beer.

db|
May 21, 2009 at 1:55 pm |

[quote comment=”330360″][quote comment=”330338″]Ok,

I love Uniwatch. I do. and I love to bowl, and yesterday’s entry was interesting. But I read this site because I love uniforms. Not bowling. Not the projects that Paul’s friends do. These last three days (and I include the DIY projects which, IMHO should have their own page so those of us who don’t care aren’t subjected to them) have been painfully boring. I know its Paul’s site and what he says goes, but can we PLEASE get back to uniforms?[/quote]

I couldn’t disagree with you more. Just for the record. I actually find the uniform specific topics the least interesting, and I find the DIY the most interesting (and inspiring).

So there ya go, 1-1.

Lee

Lee[/quote]

Just to throw my two cents in here (because I know you were all waitign with baited breath to read what I have to say) I actually agree with that guy about having a seperate page for DIY, but not because its boring, because I think there are so many cool projects it deserves its own place on the site.

But I do have to disagree with you, Lee, I love reading Pauls analysis of uni changes and quirks more than anything else…

LarryB|
May 21, 2009 at 1:59 pm |

I enjoyed Jonathan Eskridge’s pictures of the Pro Hall of Fame. It is fun to see what pictures others take when visiting.

And I have not looked at all of Jeremy Brahm’s items yet. I did see some of the older Japanese teams uniforms. Those were neat to see too.

I love Uniwatch. I do. and I love to bowl, and yesterday\’s entry was interesting. But I read this site because I love uniforms. Not bowling. Not the projects that Paul\’s friends do. These last three days (and I include the DIY projects which, IMHO should have their own page so those of us who don\’t care aren\’t subjected to them) have been painfully boring. I know its Paul\’s site and what he says goes, but can we PLEASE get back to uniforms?[/quote]

I couldn\’t disagree with you more. Just for the record. I actually find the uniform specific topics the least interesting, and I find the DIY the most interesting (and inspiring).

So there ya go, 1-1.

Lee

Lee[/quote]

Just to throw my two cents in here (because I know you were all waitign with baited breath to read what I have to say) I actually agree with that guy about having a seperate page for DIY, but not because its boring, because I think there are so many cool projects it deserves its own place on the site.

But I do have to disagree with you, Lee, I love reading Pauls analysis of uni changes and quirks more than anything else…[/quote]

I meant to write: \”I actually find some of the uniform specific topics the least interesting…\”

Of course detailing the changes and history and broader trends of uniforms I love. Portholes? Meh. Show me someone making a custom football helmet or designing a fictional leagues uniforms sets any day!

Maybe someday we\’ll get a chance to edit. Or I will actually proofread.

Lee

shadoquad|
May 21, 2009 at 2:15 pm |

[quote comment=”330382″][quote comment=”330378″]No responses on Baltimore bowling allies? Unless I missed them in my perusal. I think Patterson Lanes may be the last left in the city. Check this article out: Balitmore Magazine.

Both of these are north of Baltimore, near or in Towson. This isn’t my neck of the woods. I grew up in West Baltimore and the Soutwest county. The lanes I bowled at as a kid no longer exist.

Frank Deford has a few articles about Baltimore ducks, some capturing how it was a staple before the Colts and Orioles came to town. Here’s a sample: Baltimore’s duckpin bowling is headed for the gutter. I’m too young to remember Toots Barger, but old enough to remember Baltimore’s nightly “Duckpins For Dollars” on WBAL. A strike won the jackpot.[/quote]

Yes, I know it’s a few miles outside of town, but that would actually be better for me and Kirsten, because we have to scoot back to NYC that night, so Hillendale’s location would give us a little bit of a head start. (Also, going from any part of Baltimore to Hillendale would be a shorter trip than a standard Brooklyn-to-Manhattan trip, which we NYCers do all the time. Y’all are spoiled by your small cities!)

[quote comment=”330382″][quote comment=”330378″]No responses on Baltimore bowling allies? Unless I missed them in my perusal. I think Patterson Lanes may be the last left in the city. Check this article out: Balitmore Magazine.

Both of these are north of Baltimore, near or in Towson. This isn’t my neck of the woods. I grew up in West Baltimore and the Soutwest county. The lanes I bowled at as a kid no longer exist.

Frank Deford has a few articles about Baltimore ducks, some capturing how it was a staple before the Colts and Orioles came to town. Here’s a sample: Baltimore’s duckpin bowling is headed for the gutter. I’m too young to remember Toots Barger, but old enough to remember Baltimore’s nightly “Duckpins For Dollars” on WBAL. A strike won the jackpot.[/quote]

Yes, I know it’s a few miles outside of town, but that would actually be better for me and Kirsten, because we have to scoot back to NYC that night, so Hillendale’s location would give us a little bit of a head start. (Also, going from any part of Baltimore to Hillendale would be a shorter trip than a standard Brooklyn-to-Manhattan trip, which we NYCers do all the time. Y’all are spoiled by your small cities!)

I will try my best to swing by these lanes within the next week or so to scout! They are very close to my house. I will bring back photographic evidence.

I think Hillendale is 10 and duckpin though.

Valjean|
May 21, 2009 at 2:20 pm |

[quote comment=”330309″](1) Apotrophe catastrophe-o-rama. It’s the Clips what else should we expect. Then again, there are always the Nats.[/quote]

Paul may have covered this in his (very welcome) rant a few weeks back, but I’m 99.9% convinced those single backward apostrophes are due to one reason: computers. (Well, and the lazy artists using them.) In almost every program that enters text, typing a single quote at the beginning of a “sentence” is auto-adjusted to an open (left) quote (as everywhere in that Clips ad). One has to deliberately hold down several different keys (e.g., shift-option-] on a Mac) to enter a close (right) quote for a proper leading apostrophe.

This appears to be beyond the Clips range — but then, so is winning 30 games a year.

Seth H|
May 21, 2009 at 2:25 pm |

“I’m in love with that black Swallows hat. Anybody know where to buy one?

I couldn’t find anything on the Swallows site. Though it was in Japanese, I could fumble my way to see how to buy a current hat. Newera.com was equally useless.”

It is not easy to find this stuff, even in Japan. When I was in Tokyo last year, no sporting goods store sold any of it. The concierge at my hotel eventually directed me to the Tokyo Dome, home field of the Yomiuri Giants. There is a store there that sells lots of Giants Stuff, and a few things from each other team. On game days, they set up stands outside with merchandise from the visiting team. The prices are not as outrageous as the ones listed in an earlier comment.

But Jeremy is absolutely correct on sizing. If you are over 5’8″ or 175 lbs. you will not find anything that fits.

Coming from a family that “keeps kosher,” I had a lot of fun buying Nippon Ham Fighters merchandise for my kids.

Rick Chaney|
May 21, 2009 at 2:27 pm |

Paul, you are not going to be able to avoid purple when coming to Ravenstown! Wait until you drive by M&T Bank Stadium and see the 70,000+ purple seats. You might want to let Kirsten drive that part so you can hide your eyes. :)

Chris|
May 21, 2009 at 2:30 pm |

[quote comment=”330382″][quote comment=”330378″]No responses on Baltimore bowling allies? Unless I missed them in my perusal. I think Patterson Lanes may be the last left in the city. Check this article out: Balitmore Magazine.

Both of these are north of Baltimore, near or in Towson. This isn’t my neck of the woods. I grew up in West Baltimore and the Soutwest county. The lanes I bowled at as a kid no longer exist.

Frank Deford has a few articles about Baltimore ducks, some capturing how it was a staple before the Colts and Orioles came to town. Here’s a sample: Baltimore’s duckpin bowling is headed for the gutter. I’m too young to remember Toots Barger, but old enough to remember Baltimore’s nightly “Duckpins For Dollars” on WBAL. A strike won the jackpot.[/quote]

Yes, I know it’s a few miles outside of town, but that would actually be better for me and Kirsten, because we have to scoot back to NYC that night, so Hillendale’s location would give us a little bit of a head start. (Also, going from any part of Baltimore to Hillendale would be a shorter trip than a standard Brooklyn-to-Manhattan trip, which we NYCers do all the time. Y’all are spoiled by your small cities!)

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

MLB has decided the Indians’ Stars & Stripes cap will have the block C instead of Chief Wahoo this year. Of course, none of this addresses the real issue: These caps are really freaking ugly, no matter which logo they use.

you know, several, you know, dozens of people spontaneously combust each year…it’s just not really widely reported…[/quote]

How many suffer retinal implosion?

Mark W|
May 21, 2009 at 2:46 pm |

Regarding the Nats banners, I took the stadium tour there this winter and asked the tour guide what order the teams on the banner were in. Of course he replied, “alphabetical order”. And then I pointed out the multitude of teams not in the correct order – on both the AL and NL banners. And of course he replied, “I never noticed.”

LarryB|
May 21, 2009 at 2:49 pm |

And thanks to Jeremy’s old baseball photos. I am now looking through the Washington Digital collection for old Husky football pictures.

My brother Dan and I took our 81 year old mom to see Ohio State play at Washington a few years ago. And spent a week in Seattle and Vancouver and Victoria. I loved that rip and that area.

There are also some old Seattle pictures in the collections that I have not yet but will look at.

I think the whole framing of the picture is tilted. Look at the buildings in the back, they have a similar slant. Perhaps this picture was taken on a hill?

Either way, it sure does make one dizzy….[/quote]

Its the way the camera was set up. The picture is obviously taken with the Midgets standing on a slight slope. But the camera was set up with the horizon used to level off the picture, meaning the camera was actually slightly tilted.

Lee

Ricko|
May 21, 2009 at 2:52 pm |

[quote comment=”330408″]And thanks to Jeremy’s old baseball photos. I am now looking through the Washington Digital collection for old Husky football pictures.

My brother Dan and I took our 81 year old mom to see Ohio State play at Washington a few years ago. And spent a week in Seattle and Vancouver and Victoria. I loved that rip and that area.

There are also some old Seattle pictures in the collections that I have not yet but will look at.

Just one more way to get lost after finding something on Uniwatch[/quote]

When the sun shines, Vancouver is in a lot of ways about as good as it gets in North America.

(I trust you had high tea in the afternoon at the Empress Hotel in Victoria?)

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

—Ricko[/quote]

In the 1970s, when colored jerseys started to appear regularly, this almost never happened, because teams wore white pants, home or away, with colored jerseys (see A’s, Indians, Giants, etc.). Two teams would never come out both wearing white pants and a dark jersey. Now teams wear white pants at home and gray on the road with such jerseys, thus distinguishing them when they are both wearing dark jerseys (in theory, at least).

How do you feel about UCLA-USC wearing color on color in football, or the Lakers almost always wearing gold at home?

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

—Ricko[/quote]

This is at least the second time this happened this year. The Braves-Mets game from a week or so ago was also a disgrace. MLB should be embarrassed.

JSS|
May 21, 2009 at 3:05 pm |

[quote comment=”330327″][quote comment=”330316″]Mississippi State is having a fan choice poll for their new basketball court design.

[quote comment=”330285″]Actually on the Nationals NL, Arizona should be in front of Atlanta as well and Pittsburgh in front of Philadelphia. And with the AL Texas should be in front of Toronto as well.

Talk about lack of oversight. Should we just have them move back to Montreal?[/quote]
The thing is last year, they had the same banners up with the same alphabetization errors, but with different colored backgrounds. So, they managed to replace the banners and not correct the errors.

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

—Ricko[/quote]

This is at least the second time this happened this year. The Braves-Mets game from a week or so ago was also a disgrace. MLB should be embarrassed.[/quote]

Embarrased? Yes, but not just about that. Check out the long, baggy pants and no stirrups or socks; that’s embarrasing. I don’t care if a guy wants to wear stirrups or socks, or wear them high or low, but they are part of the uniform and I don’t see how MLB can let them just go.

TommyD|
May 21, 2009 at 3:08 pm |

[quote comment=”330395″][quote comment=”330309″](1) Apotrophe catastrophe-o-rama. It’s the Clips what else should we expect. Then again, there are always the Nats.[/quote]

Paul may have covered this in his (very welcome) rant a few weeks back, but I’m 99.9% convinced those single backward apostrophes are due to one reason: computers. (Well, and the lazy artists using them.) In almost every program that enters text, typing a single quote at the beginning of a “sentence” is auto-adjusted to an open (left) quote (as everywhere in that Clips ad). One has to deliberately hold down several different keys (e.g., shift-option-] on a Mac) to enter a close (right) quote for a proper leading apostrophe.

This appears to be beyond the Clips range — but then, so is winning 30 games a year.[/quote]

this is absolutely correct

‘ – this is the key to the left of return
’ – this is option+shift+right bracket on a mac

these are typographer’s marks… and not using them shows signs of bad/lazy design

Jim BC|
May 21, 2009 at 3:10 pm |

[quote comment=”330414″][quote comment=”330410″][quote comment=”330408″]And thanks to Jeremy’s old baseball photos. I am now looking through the Washington Digital collection for old Husky football pictures.

My brother Dan and I took our 81 year old mom to see Ohio State play at Washington a few years ago. And spent a week in Seattle and Vancouver and Victoria. I loved that rip and that area.

There are also some old Seattle pictures in the collections that I have not yet but will look at.

Just one more way to get lost after finding something on Uniwatch[/quote]

When the sun shines, Vancouver is in a lot of ways about as good as it gets in North America.

(I trust you had high tea in the afternoon at the Empress Hotel in Victoria?)

—Ricko[/quote]

HAHA no but we did see it. Me personally I loved that climate/ Not too hot and not too cold. Just the right temperature and climate for a guy who is not a fan of hot weather.

And I do not think it rains as much in Victoria as Seattle? I could be wrong though.

Husky Stadium in Washington was really cool.[/quote]
OK – a great time to ask: Has there ever been a Uniwatch get together in Vancouver? Has Uniwatch ever been north of the border? p.s. not a lot of purple here!

[quote comment=”330373″][quote comment=”330368″][quote comment=”330362″]I grew up playing Canadian Fivepins. Of course, we just called it “bowling”.

Here’s some interesting trivia which may or may not be true – the five pins have different point values (in order, 2,3,5,3,2). Knocking down the centre pin is worth five points, which is the origin of the term “five hole” for the space between the goalie’s pads in hockey.[/quote]

Out of curiosity, do you have proof of that last statement, Mike? As it was explained to me a long time ago by a hockey coach, it’s the fifth place you look when trying to score – the five-hole.

Over the shoulders are #1 and #2 (glove and blockers move slower than the speed the puck is travelling), the lower corners are #3 and #4 (because they are normally covered when a goalie butterflies), and the fifth hole on a goalie is between his legs (because it is quite easily protected by both stick and pads).[/quote]

No proof, that’s why I said it might or might not be true. I heard it growing up, its mentioned on the wikipedia page for five hole, it makes sense, but that’s the best I can do.[/quote]
Sounds interesting… a theory I never thought of but I’ve always thought it was what Teebz said. But again, I have no proof (other than first hand experience – the five hole is a tough one… and I alsw prefer to go shelf!)

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

—Ricko[/quote]

In the 1970s, when colored jerseys started to appear regularly, this almost never happened, because teams wore white pants, home or away, with colored jerseys (see A’s, Indians, Giants, etc.). Two teams would never come out both wearing white pants and a dark jersey. Now teams wear white pants at home and gray on the road with such jerseys, thus distinguishing them when they are both wearing dark jerseys (in theory, at least).

How do you feel about UCLA-USC wearing color on color in football, or the Lakers almost always wearing gold at home?[/quote]

It’s not so much (IMO of course) about the colors (or lack of) but about the CONTRAST.
In soccer, generally, they don’t have “home’ & “road”, but its incumbent on the visiting team to wear a contrasting shirt, so you see all sorts of colors.

USC-UCLA is a prefect example of there not being a need to one to team to HAVE to wear a white shirt since the burgundy & baby blue contrast sufficiently.

It was common before TV came along for American football teams, pro & college, to wear colored uniforms. When games started going to TV, it was often difficult to distinguish between say a red & a blue shirt while being telecast in black & white. Thus the introduction of white uniforms and a little later a standardizing of home and away shirts.

How many black and white TVs are in use? I say those days are gone, and so why not let both teams wear color tops as long as they contrast?

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

—Ricko[/quote]

In the 1970s, when colored jerseys started to appear regularly, this almost never happened, because teams wore white pants, home or away, with colored jerseys (see A’s, Indians, Giants, etc.). Two teams would never come out both wearing white pants and a dark jersey. Now teams wear white pants at home and gray on the road with such jerseys, thus distinguishing them when they are both wearing dark jerseys (in theory, at least).

How do you feel about UCLA-USC wearing color on color in football, or the Lakers almost always wearing gold at home?[/quote]

Each sport has it own traditional “looks,” of course. Dark unis and color-on-color in MLB have been extremely rare. Football and basketball were color-on-color all over the place until television came along in the 1950’s.

There isn’t anything intrinsically wrong with color-on-color, it just looks–because of tradition—really out of place in MLB.

Would it be so hard for MLB to have a rule simply stating that if the Home team wears a jersey that is any color other than white, the Visitors must wear gray?

The codicil, i suppose, would be that if a team’s Road uni as filed with the MLB offices consisted of dark jerseys (ala the late ’70s Indians with red and navy alternating, or the Braves’ royal roads of the Aaron 715 era), then the Home team would be obligated to wear white.

I dunno. It just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. If the intent is to add “color” to games, navy vs. black isn’t doing much. Contrast is better viewing than the virtually monochrome look of navy vs. black.

—Ricko[/quote]

In the 1970s, when colored jerseys started to appear regularly, this almost never happened, because teams wore white pants, home or away, with colored jerseys (see A’s, Indians, Giants, etc.). Two teams would never come out both wearing white pants and a dark jersey. Now teams wear white pants at home and gray on the road with such jerseys, thus distinguishing them when they are both wearing dark jerseys (in theory, at least).

How do you feel about UCLA-USC wearing color on color in football, or the Lakers almost always wearing gold at home?[/quote]

Each sport has it own traditional “looks,” of course. Dark unis and color-on-color in MLB have been extremely rare. Football and basketball were color-on-color all over the place until television came along in the 1950’s.

There isn’t anything intrinsically wrong with color-on-color, it just looks–because of tradition—really out of place in MLB.

—Ricko[/quote]

Color on color should be limited to colors that contrast (e.g., red v. any kind of blue, but not black v. navy).

[quote comment=”330425″][quote comment=”330373″][quote comment=”330368″][quote comment=”330362″]I grew up playing Canadian Fivepins. Of course, we just called it “bowling”.

Here’s some interesting trivia which may or may not be true – the five pins have different point values (in order, 2,3,5,3,2). Knocking down the centre pin is worth five points, which is the origin of the term “five hole” for the space between the goalie’s pads in hockey.[/quote]

Out of curiosity, do you have proof of that last statement, Mike? As it was explained to me a long time ago by a hockey coach, it’s the fifth place you look when trying to score – the five-hole.

Over the shoulders are #1 and #2 (glove and blockers move slower than the speed the puck is travelling), the lower corners are #3 and #4 (because they are normally covered when a goalie butterflies), and the fifth hole on a goalie is between his legs (because it is quite easily protected by both stick and pads).[/quote]

No proof, that’s why I said it might or might not be true. I heard it growing up, its mentioned on the wikipedia page for five hole, it makes sense, but that’s the best I can do.[/quote]
Sounds interesting… a theory I never thought of but I’ve always thought it was what Teebz said. But again, I have no proof (other than first hand experience – the five hole is a tough one… and I also prefer to go shelf!)[/quote]

Well, it’s really the traditional coaching order. The holes in a goalie were numbered as to where to look to shoot first. There are 1 holes, 2 holes, 3 holes and 4 holes too, along with Pang’s 6 hole above his head. And since it started in the days of stand up goalies, the one and two are actually the low corners, and the 3 and 4 are the top corners (with 1 and 3 being blocker side). That terminology has existed for a while in hockey coaching, it’s just not commonly used outside of 5 hole.

Since it’s not an independent phrase, I doubt the story is true. If it was just the 5 hole without any other holes existing, I would believe it.

Bill Parcells says the biggest problem a football team can have is a “celebrity quarterback”.

Uh-oh. Trouble brewing already, Jets fans?

—Ricko

Lwiedy|
May 21, 2009 at 3:51 pm |

I like the Greinke shirt but I’ve heard a reference to “Royale with Cheese” as a nickname. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to assign a moniker based on a team name, especially since he’ll have a new team as soon as his contract is up.

“Ihat’s what happens when you become a gelding.” “UniWatch wishes you well in futuer endeavors.”[/quote]

/Vince McMahon’d.

shenk|
May 21, 2009 at 3:52 pm |

[quote comment=”330352″][quote comment=”330298″]Paul, huge props for the Clem Snide representation in your CD collection.[/quote]
I was going to applaude the Bardo Pond representation…(I guess I just did)[/quote]

…and I was going to heartily applaud that Paul is keen on alphabetical ordering. If you’ve got a lot of music in your collection, it is the only way to go!

Tony Bell|
May 21, 2009 at 3:53 pm |

[quote comment=”330357″][quote comment=\”330295\”]The Uni Watch membership card gallery is great fun to browse through, but I wonder why the design isn\’t referenced in Flickr as to what team the design originally came from. Some of them are pretty obvious, but for some of the more obscure ones it\’d be nice to see where they came from. I would volunteer for such a project, btw.[/quote]

I agree I love looking through the gallery too. What I wish is that everyone who has a card would go and leave a comment explaining their choice. Some interesting reading for the ones that have done so!

My card just came in the mail last weekend and I see it in the gallery now!
Thanks Paul!

Lee[/quote]

Not only did I just get my card in the mail, but it’s the one that’s displayed on today’s entry!! Thanks, Paul! I know I’m not the first one to use the cablecar from the backs of the old S.F. Warriors jerseys, but I have always loved it, and I wish that more teams would use a local icon on their uniforms. How many can you all think of?

[quote comment=”330432″]I like the Greinke shirt but I’ve heard a reference to “Royale with Cheese” as a nickname. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to assign a moniker based on a team name, especially since he’ll have a new team as soon as his contract is up.[/quote]

“Royale with cheese” is how you order a Big Mac at McDonald’s in France. This nickname seems to lose something in translation.

[quote comment=”330430″]
Well, it’s really the traditional coaching order. The holes in a goalie were numbered as to where to look to shoot first. There are 1 holes, 2 holes, 3 holes and 4 holes too, along with Pang’s 6 hole above his head. And since it started in the days of stand up goalies, the one and two are actually the low corners, and the 3 and 4 are the top corners (with 1 and 3 being blocker side). That terminology has existed for a while in hockey coaching, it’s just not commonly used outside of 5 hole.

Since it’s not an independent phrase, I doubt the story is true. If it was just the 5 hole without any other holes existing, I would believe it.[/quote]

Good call, Jeff. With the butterfly becoming increasingly taught when I was playing hockey, I can see how coaches would call for the shelf to be #1 and #2 places to look for goals. But traditionally, with straight sticks and stand-up goalies, the lower corners would be #1 and #2.

[quote comment=”330435″]I know I’m not the first one to use the cablecar from the backs of the old S.F. Warriors jerseys, but I have always loved it, and I wish that more teams would use a local icon on their uniforms. How many can you all think of?[/quote]

[quote comment=”330439″][quote comment=”330435″]I know I’m not the first one to use the cablecar from the backs of the old S.F. Warriors jerseys, but I have always loved it, and I wish that more teams would use a local icon on their uniforms. How many can you all think of?[/quote]

[quote comment=”330414″][quote comment=”330410″][quote comment=”330408″]And thanks to Jeremy’s old baseball photos. I am now looking through the Washington Digital collection for old Husky football pictures.

My brother Dan and I took our 81 year old mom to see Ohio State play at Washington a few years ago. And spent a week in Seattle and Vancouver and Victoria. I loved that rip and that area.

There are also some old Seattle pictures in the collections that I have not yet but will look at.

Just one more way to get lost after finding something on Uniwatch[/quote]

When the sun shines, Vancouver is in a lot of ways about as good as it gets in North America.

(I trust you had high tea in the afternoon at the Empress Hotel in Victoria?)

—Ricko[/quote]

HAHA no but we did see it. Me personally I loved that climate/ Not too hot and not too cold. Just the right temperature and climate for a guy who is not a fan of hot weather.

And I do not think it rains as much in Victoria as Seattle? I could be wrong though.

Husky Stadium in Washington was really cool.[/quote]

That’s my favorite part of the country (countries) – spent quite a bit of time up that way.

It doesn’t rain as much in Victoria as it does in Seattle. And every time I’ve been to Seattle, with the exception of one day, the weather has been amazing.

Husky Stadium is the best college football setting I’ve ever seen in person. I’d love to go to a game there.

There’s a Food Lion in University Village on 45th street, and in the back by the bathrooms they have a really cool framed portrait of the Husky football team from the late 1800’s.

Big Al|
May 21, 2009 at 4:14 pm |

[quote comment=”330338″]I love Uniwatch. I do. and I love to bowl, and yesterday’s entry was interesting. But I read this site because I love uniforms. Not bowling. Not the projects that Paul’s friends do. These last three days (and I include the DIY projects which, IMHO should have their own page so those of us who don’t care aren’t subjected to them) have been painfuly boring. I know its Paul’s site and what he says goes, but can we PLEASE get back to uniforms?[/quote]
I’m not a fan of the DIY clothing either. That said, I was interested in the cat who painted his basement Steeler colors; I can always use some ideas for my lair.

But I have this crazy new thing on my mouse called a scroll wheel. It lets you traverse up or down the page, bypassing the stuff you don’t want to read!

/hey, at least we have a respite from all the political “chatter” that proliferated the site last year ;)

[quote comment=”330437″][quote comment=”330432″]I like the Greinke shirt but I’ve heard a reference to “Royale with Cheese” as a nickname. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to assign a moniker based on a team name, especially since he’ll have a new team as soon as his contract is up.[/quote]

“Royale with cheese” is how you order a Big Mac at McDonald’s in France. This nickname seems to lose something in translation.[/quote]

Big Mac doesn’t make sense because of the metric system??

Hott Rodd|
May 21, 2009 at 4:16 pm |

[quote comment=”330437″][quote comment=”330432″]I like the Greinke shirt but I’ve heard a reference to “Royale with Cheese” as a nickname. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to assign a moniker based on a team name, especially since he’ll have a new team as soon as his contract is up.[/quote]

“Royale with cheese” is how you order a Big Mac at McDonald’s in France. This nickname seems to lose something in translation.[/quote]

To really stretch things,the original Twins shoulder patch showed the “Twins” shaking hands over the Mississippi. But we’d best not get started on things that “symbolize” something or we’ll get WAYYYYY too far from the original point.

Phil, I thought about the Liberty Bell and couldn’t decide if it was germane. Still don’t know for sure. It’s an icon, but I think the original point was about things geographic, representing places either in a city or the city itself. Landmarks, so to speak, not specific things. As I said, still don’t know for sure. Cable cars, being in fact rolling National Monuments would qualify.

[quote comment=”330448″][quote comment=”330437″][quote comment=”330432″]I like the Greinke shirt but I’ve heard a reference to “Royale with Cheese” as a nickname. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to assign a moniker based on a team name, especially since he’ll have a new team as soon as his contract is up.[/quote]

“Royale with cheese” is how you order a Big Mac at McDonald’s in France. This nickname seems to lose something in translation.[/quote]

Hey Hoser! It’s the Quarter Pounder with cheese..[/quote]

Alright… I messed up. I’m still a little groggy from my interrupted nap at work.

Sleeping on one’s lunch hour = paradise.

Interrupting me 20 minutes into a peaceful nap = bad for productivity on my end. I have a feeling my softball game tonight is going to suffer. :o(

Looks like a grade old arena they’re playing in, the stands look really steep (I miss steep stands)[/quote]
Caption says philly, and they’re in white, so I’m guessing that’s the old Philadelphia Arena.

Looking at this, which doesn’t show much, the size of the stands and steepness looks pretty similar.

Incidentally, that is a photo of the Philadelphia Quakers of the NHL, from 1930 or 31, their only season of existence. 4-36-4 record, still the least number of wins in a season. And they were outscored 184-74.

That reminds me, a few months back there were rumors swirling that the Warriors we considering logo and uniform redesign that would resemble those uniforms, but with an updated bridge design.

another|
May 21, 2009 at 4:58 pm |

[quote comment=”330465″]
My daughter, when she was about five, came running into my home office, all excited. “Dad, THE KING AND ME is on!!!” That will forever be what I remember most when I think about that movie.

—Ricko[/quote]When I was young I never quite got the “and I” part, not realizing that it was her story. :-) “Okay, the King part is fine, I know who the King is…but who’s the other one supposed to be? Could be the teacher, could be the frustrated lover…”

Sometimes I long for those days of innocence.

anotherguy|
May 21, 2009 at 5:00 pm |

[quote comment=”330460″]Wow. The Twins are up 20-0 on the White Sox in the seventh. That’s got to be a crooked scoreboard.[/quote]There goes your shutout baby! It’s all downhill from here!!

:-((((

Will L.|
May 21, 2009 at 5:05 pm |

There has to be some other possible explanation for the Nationals’ logo banners, right? There are two out-of-place logos on the AL banner and FIVE on the NL banner. Almost 25% of those logos are in the wrong spot. I know we’re talking about the Nationals here, where failing is basically the one thing we’re truly good at, but I still don’t buy it. Someone would have had to have made the decision to put Toronto before Tampa Bay: “So does Toronto come before or after Tampa Bay? Hmmm… it depends on how you spell Toronto, I guess. Is it T-A-RONTO? OH WAIT, IT’S SPELLED RIGHT THERE ON THE LOGO.”

As a Nationals fan, I’ve taken a weird delight in my team’s unique ability to screw up just about everything, both on and off the field. It gives us fans something to chuckle about. However, playing four innings with two jerseys that mistakenly says NATINALS is endearing. Putting SAN FRANCISCO in front of SAN DIEGO on an alphabatized banner is just plain I-would-never-want-to-associate-myself-with-this-organization bad.

Someone please point out some form of alternative ordering system that might make sense here. Please?

Ricko|
May 21, 2009 at 5:10 pm |

[quote comment=”330470″]There has to be some other possible explanation for the Nationals’ logo banners, right? There are two out-of-place logos on the AL banner and FIVE on the NL banner. Almost 25% of those logos are in the wrong spot. I know we’re talking about the Nationals here, where failing is basically the one thing we’re truly good at, but I still don’t buy it. Someone would have had to have made the decision to put Toronto before Tampa Bay: “So does Toronto come before or after Tampa Bay? Hmmm… it depends on how you spell Toronto, I guess. Is it T-A-RONTO? OH WAIT, IT’S SPELLED RIGHT THERE ON THE LOGO.”

As a Nationals fan, I’ve taken a weird delight in my team’s unique ability to screw up just about everything, both on and off the field. It gives us fans something to chuckle about. However, playing four innings with two jerseys that mistakenly says NATINALS is endearing. Putting SAN FRANCISCO in front of SAN DIEGO on an alphabatized banner is just plain I-would-never-want-to-associate-myself-with-this-organization bad.

Someone please point out some form of alternative ordering system that might make sense here. Please?[/quote]

“When any teams’ cities begin with the same letter, put them in order of the oldest franchise first.”

Sorry if this was already posted but
1) I had no idea the Indians had controversy over their stars and stripes hat and more importantly
2) MLB has FINALLY answered Paul’s question as to how much of the proceeds are going to veterans.

Bernard|
May 21, 2009 at 5:23 pm |

[quote comment=”330458″]NY Liberty in WNBA…Statue of Liberty.
In the logo, for sure.
On the uniform?
Can’t remember.[/quote]

[quote comment=”330437″][quote comment=”330432″]“I like the Greinke shirt but I’ve heard a reference to ‘Royale with Cheese’ as a nickname. I guess it wouldn’t be wise to assign a moniker based on a team name, especially since he’ll have a new team as soon as his contract is up.”[/quote]

“‘Royale with cheese’ is how you order a Big Mac at McDonald’s in France. This nickname seems to lose something in translation.”[/quote]

See “Pulp Fiction” and the talk between John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson.

[quote comment=”330472″]MLB has FINALLY answered Paul’s question as to how much of the proceeds are going to veterans.[/quote]

Maybe.

-Â In that Yahoo article, the reporter was apparently told “all of the proceeds” will go to charity. But I’m positive that I read something the other day that said “all of the NET proceeds” (which still isn’t bad, since it basically means all the profits, but it’s not the same thing), but now I can’t find the page where I saw that. Dang.

[quote comment=”330475″][quote comment=”330472″]MLB has FINALLY answered Paul’s question as to how much of the proceeds are going to veterans.[/quote]

Maybe.

-Â In that Yahoo article, the reporter was apparently told “all of the proceeds” will go to charity. But I’m positive that I read something the other day that said “all of the NET proceeds” (which still isn’t bad, since it basically means all the profits, but it’s not the same thing), but now I can’t find the page where I saw that. Dang.

“Major League Baseball Properties, Inc will donate all of the proceeds it receives from the sale of the caps to Welcome Back Veterans. In addition, MLB.com will donate an additional $1 to Welcome Back Veterans for each cap purchased through http://www.mlb.com.”

The Yahoo article quoted MLB to say $1 a hat. With a $3 mark up from regular hat, that means they’re still profiting an extra $2 off of Old Glory.

I understand it’s a business and they are looking to make money, but at least give veterans the whole $3 difference.

Chris in Nashville|
May 21, 2009 at 5:47 pm |

[quote comment=”330476″][quote comment=”330456″]nashville preds sohoulder logo had some building in nashville on it. lol

[quote comment=”330477″][quote comment=”330475″][quote comment=”330472″]MLB has FINALLY answered Paul’s question as to how much of the proceeds are going to veterans.[/quote]

Maybe.

-Â In that Yahoo article, the reporter was apparently told “all of the proceeds” will go to charity. But I’m positive that I read something the other day that said “all of the NET proceeds” (which still isn’t bad, since it basically means all the profits, but it’s not the same thing), but now I can’t find the page where I saw that. Dang.

“Major League Baseball Properties, Inc will donate all of the proceeds it receives from the sale of the caps to Welcome Back Veterans. In addition, MLB.com will donate an additional $1 to Welcome Back Veterans for each cap purchased through http://www.mlb.com.”

The Yahoo article quoted MLB to say $1 a hat. With a $3 mark up from regular hat, that means they’re still profiting an extra $2 off of Old Glory.

I understand it’s a business and they are looking to make money, but at least give veterans the whole $3 difference.[/quote]
No, all of the net proceeds, probably calculated based on the retail price minus the wholesale price plus $1 if you buy it from mlb.com rather then lids or some other place, presumably since MLB gets a higher percentage of the money through their store anyway, even if it’s the same price. And because of that, they can donate that extra buck, and because they pay less then wholesale to sell them through MLB.com, they still make money there.

Jeremy Brahm|
May 21, 2009 at 6:48 pm |

[quote comment=”330396″]”I’m in love with that black Swallows hat. Anybody know where to buy one?

I couldn’t find anything on the Swallows site. Though it was in Japanese, I could fumble my way to see how to buy a current hat. Newera.com was equally useless.”

It is not easy to find this stuff, even in Japan. When I was in Tokyo last year, no sporting goods store sold any of it. The concierge at my hotel eventually directed me to the Tokyo Dome, home field of the Yomiuri Giants. There is a store there that sells lots of Giants Stuff, and a few things from each other team. On game days, they set up stands outside with merchandise from the visiting team. The prices are not as outrageous as the ones listed in an earlier comment.

But Jeremy is absolutely correct on sizing. If you are over 5’8″ or 175 lbs. you will not find anything that fits.

Coming from a family that “keeps kosher,” I had a lot of fun buying Nippon Ham Fighters merchandise for my kids.[/quote]

Seth, I would recommend that if people are in Japan (not saying everyone has the chance), please visit each team’s home stadium or their major stop. You get a greater selection of items by each team.

NPB is notorious for not understanding that there are overseas fans, albeit small in number. The internet has made it easier for people to follow the leagues, but teams are still only focused on selling in Japan.

Seth, where did you stay in Tokyo? I’m guessing that the concierge forgot that Meiji Jingu where the Swallows play has stuff as well. Or even a Seibu department store for the Lions. He did steer you to Tokyo Dome, which has a decent store albeit focused on the Giants. The Fighters used to share the Dome with the Giants, so you’d be able to get their gear as well, but the Giants are #1.

The pricing scale for gear is far and wide. I have a blue Yakult Swallows hat that is a trucker hat because I was given it as a gift. It is much cheaper than the New Era authentics, but at the time there were more trucker hats in the stands because fans did not want to pay the $100 for the real hats. Now, New Era has agreements with almost all of the teams, the Giants and Fighters are stubborn.

Seth when you were at Tokyo Dome, did you get to the Japanese Baseball Museum?

If anyone is going to Japan and needs help, please contact me through Paul.

Patrick in MI|
May 21, 2009 at 6:55 pm |

[quote comment=”330481″](I always love it when I get trout as my security word.)

As we discussed recently, the St. Louis Browns used a patch which featured the statue of St. Louis on horseback: Apotheosis of Saint Louis.

One of the greatest logos ever! A fantastic DIY project would be to get just the saint-on-horseback (sans shield) as a patch and place it onto a cream ballcap. Cap piping optional.

Dave Allen|
May 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm |

Pedernales Elec Coop in the house

[quote comment=”330318″][quote comment=”330308″] I (wonder) how many readers other than Tom Konecny and I receive Texas Coop Power magazine. Kudos to Tom for noting the story and forwarding it to the Glorious Leader. It just flew right past me.

Sanchez would do well to remember this moment this summer when he is simultaneously being taped to the goalpost and being commanded to sing the USC fight song.

Andy Bruinewoud|
May 21, 2009 at 7:42 pm |

Quebec has duckpin bowling (called “petite quilles”) across the province and, from what I’ve seen, they all use the rubber-band version. And while on the subject, here’s a gorgeous bowling sign from a Montreal-area “Salle de Quilles.”

And, for an added bonus, scroll down about three-quarters of the way of this page for information (and picture!) of a nudist bowling league in Montreal.

Traxel|
May 21, 2009 at 8:30 pm |

[quote comment=”330484″][quote comment=”330481″](I always love it when I get trout as my security word.)

As we discussed recently, the St. Louis Browns used a patch which featured the statue of St. Louis on horseback: Apotheosis of Saint Louis.

One of the greatest logos ever! A fantastic DIY project would be to get just the saint-on-horseback (sans shield) as a patch and place it onto a cream ballcap. Cap piping optional.[/quote]
Awsome logo. It is a statue in Forest Park in front of the Art Museum in St.Louis. Was my company’s logo when I lived here. That logo would also look great as a crest on a hockey sweater.

[quote comment=”330471″][quote comment=”330470″]There has to be some other possible explanation for the Nationals’ logo banners, right? There are two out-of-place logos on the AL banner and FIVE on the NL banner. Almost 25% of those logos are in the wrong spot. I know we’re talking about the Nationals here, where failing is basically the one thing we’re truly good at, but I still don’t buy it. Someone would have had to have made the decision to put Toronto before Tampa Bay: “So does Toronto come before or after Tampa Bay? Hmmm… it depends on how you spell Toronto, I guess. Is it T-A-RONTO? OH WAIT, IT’S SPELLED RIGHT THERE ON THE LOGO.”

As a Nationals fan, I’ve taken a weird delight in my team’s unique ability to screw up just about everything, both on and off the field. It gives us fans something to chuckle about. However, playing four innings with two jerseys that mistakenly says NATINALS is endearing. Putting SAN FRANCISCO in front of SAN DIEGO on an alphabatized banner is just plain I-would-never-want-to-associate-myself-with-this-organization bad.

Someone please point out some form of alternative ordering system that might make sense here. Please?[/quote]

“When any teams’ cities begin with the same letter, put them in order of the oldest franchise first.”

That work? In the two example you cited, it does.

—Ricko[/quote]

Not a bad attempt at an explanation, except that:

(1) Tampa Bay is listed before Texas

(2) Colorado is listed before Cincinnati

LarryB|
May 21, 2009 at 9:14 pm |

[quote comment=”330444″][quote comment=”330414″][quote comment=”330410″][quote comment=”330408″]And thanks to Jeremy’s old baseball photos. I am now looking through the Washington Digital collection for old Husky football pictures.

My brother Dan and I took our 81 year old mom to see Ohio State play at Washington a few years ago. And spent a week in Seattle and Vancouver and Victoria. I loved that rip and that area.

There are also some old Seattle pictures in the collections that I have not yet but will look at.

Just one more way to get lost after finding something on Uniwatch[/quote]

When the sun shines, Vancouver is in a lot of ways about as good as it gets in North America.

(I trust you had high tea in the afternoon at the Empress Hotel in Victoria?)

—Ricko[/quote]

HAHA no but we did see it. Me personally I loved that climate/ Not too hot and not too cold. Just the right temperature and climate for a guy who is not a fan of hot weather.

And I do not think it rains as much in Victoria as Seattle? I could be wrong though.

Husky Stadium in Washington was really cool.[/quote]

That’s my favorite part of the country (countries) – spent quite a bit of time up that way.

It doesn’t rain as much in Victoria as it does in Seattle. And every time I’ve been to Seattle, with the exception of one day, the weather has been amazing.

Husky Stadium is the best college football setting I’ve ever seen in person. I’d love to go to a game there.

There’s a Food Lion in University Village on 45th street, and in the back by the bathrooms they have a really cool framed portrait of the Husky football team from the late 1800’s.[/quote]

It really was a great area to visit and sight see. I do hope the Huskies get the football program back on track. And I do like the Huskies colors. From what I saw the new uniforms looked good.

Brandon|
May 21, 2009 at 9:17 pm |

Lou Piniella’s alt blue jersey tonight against the Cards has the pink breast cancer/mother’s day ribbon on it.

No photo, and I do not know if it has been mentioned before, but Kevin Millar of the Toronto Black Jays is wearing stirrups, at least in tonight’s game against Boston.

Ben Teaford|
May 21, 2009 at 10:43 pm |

In that Yahoo! article on the Indians flag hat they mentioned this little fact that I’m shocked I never knew about. Here’s what they said in the article:

“This year, MLB is avoiding the firestorm completely and opting for the alternative that I suggested, opting to modify the block ‘C’ cap Bill Clinton wore when throwing out the first pitch at Progressive Field in 1994.”

Now first, they’re wrong about modifying the hat since the Tribe switched to that style hat as an alternate last season. But I had no idea that Clinton refused to wear the Chief Wahoo hat when he came there in 1994. But I looked it up, and I found a picture ( http://www.2x4misc.com/billbb.JPG ). As an Indians fan, I’m sad I never knew this. So I thought I’d let others know in case I wasn’t the only one.

Nick|
May 21, 2009 at 10:49 pm |

[quote comment=”330492″]Lou Piniella’s alt blue jersey tonight against the Cards has the pink breast cancer/mother’s day ribbon on it.[/quote]

Hmm… I saw highlights of the Yankees game last night, and I’m pretty sure Nick Swisher (I think it was him) was wearing a pink armband. Just felt like pointing that out.

And the apostrophe over-use on that LA Clippers advertisement is disgraceful. Definitely the biggest “apostrophe catastrophe” I’ve ever seen.

[quote comment=”330494″]No photo, and I do not know if it has been mentioned before, but Kevin Millar of the Toronto Black Jays is wearing stirrups, at least in tonight’s game against Boston.[/quote]

It’s been mentioned. He started sporting the stirrups again during Monday’s home game against the White Sox. He had previously been going high-cuffed during the 2009 season. But as others pointed out in previous day’s comments, Millar is no stranger to stirrups.

Greenie|
May 21, 2009 at 11:09 pm |

[quote comment=”330496″][quote comment=”330492″]Lou Piniella’s alt blue jersey tonight against the Cards has the pink breast cancer/mother’s day ribbon on it.[/quote]

Hmm… I saw highlights of the Yankees game last night, and I’m pretty sure Nick Swisher (I think it was him) was wearing a pink armband. Just felt like pointing that out.

At least they were consistent. Consistently bad, but consistent. They didn’t switch from one to another it seemed.
And the apostrophe over-use on that LA Clippers advertisement is disgraceful. Definitely the biggest “apostrophe catastrophe” I’ve ever seen.[/quote]

Greenie|
May 21, 2009 at 11:11 pm |

[quote comment=”330496″][quote comment=”330492″]Lou Piniella’s alt blue jersey tonight against the Cards has the pink breast cancer/mother’s day ribbon on it.[/quote]

Hmm… I saw highlights of the Yankees game last night, and I’m pretty sure Nick Swisher (I think it was him) was wearing a pink armband. Just felt like pointing that out.

And the apostrophe over-use on that LA Clippers advertisement is disgraceful. Definitely the biggest “apostrophe catastrophe” I’ve ever seen.[/quote]

crap, I wrote that in the wrong space. shb

At least they were consistent. Consistently bad, but consistent. They didn’t switch from one to another it seemed.

[quote comment=”330382″][quote comment=”330378″]No responses on Baltimore bowling allies? Unless I missed them in my perusal. I think Patterson Lanes may be the last left in the city. Check this article out: Balitmore Magazine.

Both of these are north of Baltimore, near or in Towson. This isn’t my neck of the woods. I grew up in West Baltimore and the Soutwest county. The lanes I bowled at as a kid no longer exist.

Frank Deford has a few articles about Baltimore ducks, some capturing how it was a staple before the Colts and Orioles came to town. Here’s a sample: Baltimore’s duckpin bowling is headed for the gutter. I’m too young to remember Toots Barger, but old enough to remember Baltimore’s nightly “Duckpins For Dollars” on WBAL. A strike won the jackpot.[/quote]

Yes, I know it’s a few miles outside of town, but that would actually be better for me and Kirsten, because we have to scoot back to NYC that night, so Hillendale’s location would give us a little bit of a head start. (Also, going from any part of Baltimore to Hillendale would be a shorter trip than a standard Brooklyn-to-Manhattan trip, which we NYCers do all the time. Y’all are spoiled by your small cities!)

what a horrid uni joke…as bad, if not worse, than mets v. braves last week

this shit has to stop[/quote]

I thought Spring Training was over already?!?!

RobT|
May 22, 2009 at 4:43 am |

[quote comment=”330470″]There has to be some other possible explanation for the Nationals’ logo banners, right? There are two out-of-place logos on the AL banner and FIVE on the NL banner. Almost 25% of those logos are in the wrong spot. I know we’re talking about the Nationals here, where failing is basically the one thing we’re truly good at, but I still don’t buy it. Someone would have had to have made the decision to put Toronto before Tampa Bay: “So does Toronto come before or after Tampa Bay? Hmmm… it depends on how you spell Toronto, I guess. Is it T-A-RONTO? OH WAIT, IT’S SPELLED RIGHT THERE ON THE LOGO.”

As a Nationals fan, I’ve taken a weird delight in my team’s unique ability to screw up just about everything, both on and off the field. It gives us fans something to chuckle about. However, playing four innings with two jerseys that mistakenly says NATINALS is endearing. Putting SAN FRANCISCO in front of SAN DIEGO on an alphabatized banner is just plain I-would-never-want-to-associate-myself-with-this-organization bad.

Someone please point out some form of alternative ordering system that might make sense here. Please?[/quote]

I realize most people probably don’t read the ticker when I finally get around to posting. But I have figured out the system to the Nats’ banner. I imagine it is out sheer laziness that similar first lettered cities/states were alphabetized by the first letter of their nickname. Indians before White Sox, Blue Jays before Rays and Rangers and Giants before Padres.

You might ask how did Tampa Bay Rays get before the Texas Rangers? Easy, someone mentioned earlier that they had similar banners last season, my guess is the template was originally designed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays being used. I imagine it was likely something done before they officially dropped the Devil portion of their nickname. So out of sheer laziness, they simply inserted the new Rays logo in place of the D-Rays logo.

So I’d chalk these banners up to laziness and not simple Nats stupidity.

As an aside, being a die-hard Expos fan I vote for them to be sent back to Montreal. At least when they misspell something or alphabetize something strange, the excuse can be the person doing the writing/imaging has French as a first language.

Rich C.|
May 22, 2009 at 5:26 am |

Hey I just stumbled across this great patriots photo of the tri-corner helmet

Stoneleigh or Hillendale. Both are BYOB. Either one works for me. And out of respect for Paul’s Purple-Phobia, I’ll wear Ravens Black!

Sean Thompson|
May 23, 2009 at 2:34 pm |

Rubber-band duckpins are popular throughout the province of Quebec, where regular duckpins are unheard of. A couple of local French TV stations air a rubber-band duckpin tournament on seemingly random afternoons.